Abstract PS1-04-15: A focused evaluation of young adults living with metastatic breast cancer: Patient-reported strategies to alleviate disease symptoms, treatment-related side effects, and survivorship concerns

Abstract Background. Young women living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) experience many physical and psychosocial difficulties heightened by a disrupted life trajectory and the burden of ongoing treatment. We conducted a focused evaluation of how survivors with MBC alleviate their symptoms/treatment-related side effects and survivorship concerns. Methods. Women diagnosed with MBC (18-39 years) participating in an ongoing prospective intervention study (Young, Empowered and Strong; NCT04379414) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute were invited to participate in a semi-structured virtual interview. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample and quantify frequency of side effects, concerns, alleviation techniques, and perceived efficacy. We conducted a thematic analysis to further explore these topics. Results. The convenience sample comprised 20 women with a median age of 40 years at enrollment (SD=3.84, range: 30-46) and 34 years at MBC diagnosis (SD=3.03, range: 28-38). At time of interview, median time from initial breast cancer to MBC diagnosis was 2.14 years (SD=2.56, range: 0-9.51). Most were non-Hispanic (85%), white (80%); half had a graduate degree (50%). Symptoms/side effects: Overall, all women reported experiencing disease symptoms/treatment-related side effects. Fatigue (50%), gastrointestinal issues (35%), menopausal symptoms (25%), and nausea (25%) were most frequently reported. Of the 19 women who reported efforts to alleviate symptoms/side effects of MBC and its treatment, 18 (94.7%) tried more than two methods, and 7 (38.8%) tried more than four methods, including prescription medication, exercise, diet/hydration, over-the-counter medication, sleep, acupuncture/massage, and medical marijuana. Of these, participants reported utilizing several methods to alleviate symptoms/side effects in tandem with other methods. Concerns: All but one participant reported survivorship concerns including fear of disease progression (68.4%), mental health (52.6%), financial toxicity (36.8%), future of family/children (36.8%), feeling trapped (15.8%), fertility/childbearing (15.8%), and sexual health (15.8%). The most common methods to alleviate concerns were social support networks (53.3%), talk therapy (46.7%), staying busy (33.3%), and exercise (26.7%). Of the 15 women who tried more than one method to alleviate their concerns, all tried more than two methods and 10 more than four methods. Of these, most reported utilizing multiple methods because previous methods had not worked for them or updated treatments introduced new side effects. Conclusion. Young women with MBC have a high burden of symptoms/side effects and concerns and utilize numerous strategies to alleviate them. Multiple approaches were often employed, both because symptoms/side effects and concerns changed with new treatments and because methods were ineffective. Supporting women to streamline these efforts may address symptoms/side effects and concerns and may help to manage disease expectations and optimize overall well-being during MBC survivorship. Citation Format: K. E. Dibble, J. Stal, S. M. Rosenberg, C. Snow, A. H. Partridge. A focused evaluation of young adults living with metastatic breast cancer: Patient-reported strategies to alleviate disease symptoms, treatment-related side effects, and survivorship concerns abstract. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS1-04-15.